Billy Klippert

Influenced like so many teens by Nirvana, Alice in Chains and the sounds out of Seattle at that time; Calgary native Billy Klippert recalls those years when his passion for music began. “I never had vocal training and wanted to replicate the way these guys sounded and in the process of learning their sound I found my own.” And like so many young, aspiring musicians, Billy took to busking and playing whatever gigs he could get to earn a modest living. That was until fame hit with Idol and things rapidly changed. As Billy put it, “feast or famine, music was and still is my life…”

Feast or famine indeed. This world of extremes, of all or nothing, is really what Naked And The Simple Truth is all about. Recorded at Record High Studios in Toronto, this album is experience put to music in the best way Billy Klippert knows how. Taking an intense couple of years and laying it out in song form over the summer months proved to be an extremely cathartic experience. This album came from hard times – the fallen Idol spotlight, the mismanagement of young fame, and of course heartbreak. “I felt like I had come through this hard time and what I had left were the songs. That, and a lot of people that believed in me.”

After moving to Toronto, Billy met fellow album collaborator/producer/co-songwriter Matt Dematteo (Big Wreck, Danko Jones, Mobile). It was an instant chemistry. He laughs, “At first he thought I was a country artist and then quickly realized after a few minutes in the studio that I was definitely a rocker. He’s a great musician and was very interested in making a solid record together. I’m really proud of it and think its much more representative of my sound than my last album.”
Naked And The Simple Truth is Billy Klippert as a person - stripped down, darker, with an edge. The story begins with ‘Going Under’, a catchy song of reflection, doused in melodic harmonies and weaving guitar hooks. It then moves into ‘Wretched Thing’, his personal favorite on the album, and a painful break-up song that leaves nothing to the imagination. Its hard rock edge, potent vocals and smashing drums command your ears and beg to be performed live. ‘She Comes in Waves’ shows the softer side of this theme, Billy sings, “On the edge of something real, from the bottom of the ocean I can feel, all the pleasure and the pain, its just the way she's always been she comes in waves.”
Perhaps the most emblematic track on the album ‘Everything to Lose’ best reflects his experiences with instant fame, living too large and then finding himself back where he started “I was a rich man but I wasted it all, I got so high so far to fall, when you've got everything you've got everything to lose.”
The writing and recording process on this album fuelled by such intense life experience was a significant wake-up call for Billy Klippert. It was time to start believing in what he was doing once again. “I definitely drift away in music and then come back and feel good about it after.” The album, a diary of sorts, is one he hopes fans will be able to connect to in more ways than one. “This is undeniably a different sound that a lot of people are not used to hearing. With my alternative rock background, it’s naturally the kind of music I want to perform. People have said that I’ll never be able to be a rock musician because of my Idol background. I want to show them that’s not the case. While Idol was great exposure for me and opened many doors, if you’re not careful, it can also close doors in this country.”

With new album and video now out in the world, Billy is now gearing up for what he says is the best part of the business – touring. With plans for a cross-country tour in 2007, Billy’s eager to get on the road and start winning people over with his heavier sound. “You make real fans by going out on the road and playing a great concert. These are the people that will stick with you for your whole career.” This slow burn idea of creating a fan base is really Billy’s main focus with Naked And The Simple Truth. Make no mistake, Billy Klippert is here to tour, to tell his story and have some fun.

“I really want people to see a real person, with real struggles and thoughts. Someone who wrote something about the way he felt.” And he hopes this will lead him to album number three…an album he hopes is even heavier than number two!